A Puyallup motorcyclist died Wednesday, two weeks after he crashed trying to avoid a car that swerved in front of him.

Gerald “Gerry” Wright, 58, was at St. Joseph Medical Center in Tacoma since the June 17 accident. His death marked the first motorcycle fatality in Pierce County this year.

Washington State Patrol troopers said the driver of a car traveling south on Interstate 5 began to exit onto the state Route 7 extension but at the last moment changed his mind and switched lanes onto Interstate 5.

Wright hit the brakes of his motorcycle in an attempt to avoid the car but lost control of the bike and left the roadway.

The State Patrol cited the car’s driver, a 34-year-old Seattle man, with negligent driving. Drugs or alcohol were not believed to have been involved.

Wright’s son, Jed, said his father was on his way to work as a security guard for Pierce County Alliance when the accident happened.

Gerald Wright loved riding his motorcycle, fishing and the Seattle Seahawks, family members said.

“If he was here right now, he’d be making a corny joke,” Jed Wright said. “He lightened up the room with the corniest jokes you can imagine.”

Loved ones described him as kind, easy-going and a devoted family man. He enjoyed spending time with his two grandsons, Andyn and Kaden, and couldn’t bear to be apart from his 16-year-old chocolate Labrador retriever, Sir Isaac III.